On Friday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Etheridge told Winfrey the separation was "as mutual as those things can be." She also called the breakup "sad."

The 48-year-old singer calls 35-year-old Tammy Etheridge "a wonderful woman and an incredible mother" and said "she'll always be in my life."

The couple announced their separation April 15. They had held a commitment ceremony in Malibu, Calif., in 2003. Tammy Etheridge gave birth to twins — a son, Miller, and a daughter, Johnnie Rose — in 2006. The couple used an anonymous donor from a sperm bank.